"When Cayetano took over as Speaker, he vowed to transform the House into a 'relevant, responsible and reliable' legislature."
"When Cayetano took over as Speaker, he vowed to transform the House into a 'relevant, responsible and reliable' legislature."
If what I've been reading about developments at the House of Representatives is any indication, it would appear that it's been doing well in crafting legislation needed to bring about economic growth, political stability and social progress in the years ahead.
Barely four months as Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alan Peter Cayetano is proving that he's capable of exercising leadership over a broad spectrum of views and interests in the legislative branch of government.
That Cayetano is doing a good job as Speaker is validated by his high approval and trust ratings after only two months in office. The latest Pulse Asia survey shows him garnering a 62-percent trust rating and a 64-percent approval rating, which are both higher than what Vice President Leni Robredo has received. Cayetano’s rating is also higher than that of his immediate predecessors.
The House passed the 2020 General Appropriations Bill containing the government’s national budget program on third and final reading in record time. Cayetano has emphasized that the approved bill contains no pork, no illegal insertions and no “parked” funds as he wants an equitable distribution to be implemented. Majority Leader Martin Romualdez said the House leadership under Cayetano committed to pass a constitutionally compliant national budget for next year.
The Department of Budget and Management submitted to the House a proposed P4.1-trillion budget for the next fiscal year. The budget is 12-percent higher than the 2019 budget of P3.662 trillion and is expected to fund programs and projects that will ensure the continuity of programs and projects of the current dispensation.
The House has also passed President Rodrigo Duterte’s priority reform measures he enunciated in his fourth State of the Nation Address. Among these are the Corporate Income Tax and Incentive Rationalization Act, the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act, House Bill 1026 further increasing the excise taxes on alcohol, tobacco and e-cigarettes (the original bill covered only covered an increase in excise tax on alcohol but amendments were introduced and approved eventually at the plenary), and the amendments to the Foreign Investments Act.
When Cayetano took over as Speaker, he vowed to transform the House into a “relevant, responsible and reliable” legislature. And apparently House leaders and members have rallied around his call for the Lower Chamber to be responsive to the country's pressing needs in the economic, political and social spheres.
In fact, House leaders Majority Leader Romualdez and Deputy Speakers Michael Romero and LRay Villafuerte consider Cayetano’s high approval and trust ratings as ample proof that the House under the 18th Congress has been doing very well in a very short time and can be counted on to deliver on the Duterte administration's priority reform measures.
But wait a second. If the House performance since July this year has exceeded expectations under Speaker Cayetano, it stands to reason that he should be given enough time to help President Duterte in implementing much-needed reforms.
Cayetano assumed the position of House Speaker under a term-sharing arrangement brokered, if I'm not mistaken, by no less than the President himself. Cayetano would serve as Speaker for 15 months while Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco would take over the post for 21 months, or the remainder of the Duterte administration's term in 2022.
But Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said recently that the President merely suggested the term-sharing deal, and it is now up to the members of the House of Representatives to decide for themselves whether this agreement should still be observed.
While Cayetano himself has said that he would honor the term-sharing arrangement, there's growing apprehension among House leaders and members that if Cayetano is replaced by Velasco, then the solid accomplishments of the Lower Chamber could all go to naught.
To begin with, sources say, Velasco's track record in Congress leaves much to be desired. What bills has he proposed since he became a member of the House, and how many of these have actually been passed into law? That's one thing that we—and taxpayers—would like to know.
Then there's the Marinduque lawmaker's propensity, according to the scuttlebutt, to invoke his closeness to the powers-that-be as his passport to the Speakership.
Velasco has enough time to prove his mettle as a competent, honest, responsible and forward-looking legislator with nothing but the public good and the national interest in mind. If he's able to do that, by all means he should be the next Speaker. But if not, then maybe he should do the right thing, which is to give up his ambition for now, build up his stature based on solid accomplishments, and wait for his turn to contest the House Speakership at the proper time.
